About this trip

British icons - new and old - will shape your journey, from Liverpool's Fab Four to Shakespeare. Travel to the Scottish Highlands, exploring rugged Dartmoor, the idyllic Lake District and Tudor town of Chester. Take a ferry to the Isle of Skye and contemplate battles fought on Culloden and the golfing grounds of St. Andrews before travelling to Edinburgh and Stratford-upon-Avon.

This morning travel to rural Wiltshire and visit the mystical ancient monoliths at Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. On arrival in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath, see the impressive Abbey and visit the Roman Baths from which the town derives its name. Later we arrive in the historic cathedral city of Exeter. This evening get to know your companions and Travel Director during your Welcome Reception at your hotel.

Your orientation of Plymouth includes the Mayflower Steps where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for the New World. See the Royal Citadel overlooking Plymouth Sound. Consider taking an optional cruise around the famous coastline. Visit Polperro, a quaint fishing village nested around a picturesque harbour. Travel along rugged Dartmoor, famous for its dramatic and breathtaking scenery. Later enjoy a Cultural Insight at Buckfast Abbey where monks have lived and prayed for nearly 1,000 years.

Meals

Full Breakfast

Meals

Full Breakfast

Optional Experiences

Devonshire Village And Dinner

We’ll drive to a beautiful village in Devon, where you’ll see cob walled houses with thatched roofs and the parish church, which dates back 1000 years. You’ll also savour a tasty pub dinner and meet the locals, in an 800-year-old village pub.

Adult Price: £36.00

Plymouth Harbour Cruise

Relax on a boat trip round the harbour of one of England’s most famous seaports. As your skipper commentates, you’ll see the Mayflower steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America, and ships sailed for Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland and enjoy panoramic vistas of Plymouth Hoe. We’ll also enter the Royal Navy Dockyard where you’ll see some of the modern vessels of the Royal Navy.

Adult Price: £14.00

Day 2

Day 3

Exeter – Glastonbury – CardiffDay 3 - Exeter – Glastonbury – Cardiff

Enjoy a picturesque drive through the South West countryside to Glastonbury. Visit the ruined Abbey, said to be the burial place of King Arthur. Later enjoy a special Be My Guest lunch in a 15th century Manor House on a working dairy farm in Somerset. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is your final destination. View the impressive Castle and the Millennium stadium during your orientation, before checking in at your hotel.

Hotel

Jurys Inn

Meals

Full Breakfast

Be My Guest Dining

Hotel

Jurys Inn

Meals

Full Breakfast

Be My Guest Dining

Optional Experiences

Cardiff Castle Tour

You’ll explore this unique castle on a private tour and hear tales about the eclectic refurbishments. Done in the 1800s by architect William Burgess, his influences included Islamic art, Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales and even Aesop's fables. You’ll also walk on the battlements and climb the 1,000-year-old Norman keep for superb views over Cardiff.

Adult Price: £21.00

Traditional Welsh Evening And Dinner

Join us for a traditional Welsh country dinner. We'll take you to a 14th century thatched inn called The Blue Anchor. While you're eating and enjoying your drink, you'll be entertained with a performance from a Welsh harpist.

Adult Price: £39.00

Welsh Evening At Millennium Centre

Enjoy an evening of Welsh music, culture and humour. The venue for the evening is the Welsh Millennium Centre, an iconic building in the fashionable Cardiff Bay area. After a warm reception, you'll enjoy a first-class meal of seasonal Welsh specialities, sourced and produced locally. Quality wine or soft drinks are included and the meal will be accompanied by our enchanting Welsh harpist. You'll then be entertained by the finest local musicians presenting the beautiful music of Wales.

Stop this morning to visit the Tudor market town of Ludlow in Shropshire. Your Travel Director takes you on a walking orientation tour of Chester, which includes views of the medieval walls, the Cathedral and the famous Tudor Rows. Liverpool is the home of the Merseybeat. This evening hear tales of the 'Fab Four' as you drive through Liverpool with your Local Specialist on an included Beatles tour.

Travel north through characteristically glorious scenery from Lancashire to the Lake District. Travelling along the shores of England's largest lake Windermere, and through countryside that inspired the Romantic poets, you reach Grasmere. View the grave of William Wordsworth, buried at St. Oswald's Church. We cross the Scottish border and visit Gretna Green, where eloping couples would say their vows over the anvil. This afternoon your orientation tour of Glasgow includes views of the Cathedral, magnificent George Square and the River Clyde, former heart of the shipbuilding industry. Celebrate your first night in Scotland with a Regional Meal in a local restaurant.

Hotel

Double Tree by Hilton Strathclyde

Meals

Full Breakfast

Regional Meal

Hotel

Double Tree by Hilton Strathclyde

Meals

Full Breakfast

Regional Meal

Optional Experiences

Private Cruise On Lake Windermere

Enjoy an exclusive cruise on a private boat on England's most beautiful and largest lake, taking in the northern coastline, beautiful houses, gardens and Wray Castle. You’ll see deserted islands, boats and birdlife as you explore the area loved by Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth.

Adult Price: £15.50

Windermere Cruise And Steam Train Ride

A chance to view the glorious scenery of the Lake District as we cruise across England’s largest lake. Then step back in time as we board the steam train for a short journey from Lakeside to Haverthwaite.

Journey along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, immortalised in the well-known Scottish song, towards the site of the 1692 massacre Glencoe − 'Glen of the Weeping'. At the Commando Memorial near Fort William see breathtaking views of Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis. Dine tonight at your hotel in the Scottish Highlands.

Hotel

Laggan Authentic Accomodation

Meals

Full Breakfast

Dinner

Hotel

Laggan Authentic Accomodation

Meals

Full Breakfast

Dinner

Optional Experiences

Loch Lomond Boat Trip

Discover the wild beauty of the 'Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond'. As we cruise across the loch, the skipper will share stories of the area and point out Rob Roy's cave as you relax and savour the stunning scenery.

Adult Price: £13.00

Highland Farm Experience

Visit a real Highland sheep farm and meet Neil the Shepherd and his border collies. He’ll show you how he uses different whistles to command each dog to carry out different tasks. You’ll also have the opportunity to try your hand at sheep shearing, feeding the pups and discover his training techniques. Weather permitting.

This morning travel to the coast and take a ferry over the sea to Skye from Mallaig to Armadale. Drive up the Sleat Peninsula and admire the spectacular scenery before stopping for time to have lunch. Cross over a road bridge to view scenic Eilean Donan Castle back on the mainland. Continue your journey past the lochs and glens of the Scottish Highlands and visit Culloden battlefield. This site was where the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745 took place and also played a part in the religious civil war in Britain. Later return to your hotel in Newtonmore.

Heading south, stop in the picturesque village of Pitlochry before heading to the historic town of St. Andrews, the home of golf. Take a photograph on the 18th green of the Old Course, where the first games of golf were played during 1400s. Cross the Firth of Forth to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, your home for the next two nights. During the Edinburgh Festival tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo in the castle grounds are included.

Hotel

Holiday Inn

Meals

Full Breakfast

Hotel

Holiday Inn

Meals

Full Breakfast

Optional Experiences

Local Dinner Evening

Join us and your travelling companions for a delicious traditional dinner and drink at a local restaurant.

Adult Price: £36.00

Pitlochry. Visit Of Blair Castle

Set in its own grounds against a backdrop of glorious scenery, you’ll visit the castle and find out more about the home of the Duke of Atholl – the only man in Britain to have a private army.

Adult Price: £20.00

Day 8

Day 9

Edinburgh SightseeingDay 9 - Edinburgh Sightseeing

This morning your Local Specialist takes you on a sightseeing tour of this wonderful city, followed by your choice of sightseeing to Edinburgh Castle or Edinburgh's Camera Obscura. See the Royal Mile, the elegant Palace of Holyroodhouse in the shadow of Arthur's Seat and the new Scottish Parliament building. Admire the elegant Georgian architecture in the New Town. Tonight why not enjoy an optional night out including traditional song, dance and Scottish fare?

Meals

Full Breakfast

Meals

Full Breakfast

Optional Experiences

Rosslyn Chapel

We’ll drive out of Edinburgh to the tiny village of Rosslyn, where you’ll hear the inside story on the famous Rosslyn Chapel. You’ll also visit one of Scotland's most unusual 15th century buildings, famed for its associations with the Knights Templar, the Masonic movement, and now 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Adult Price: £17.50

Scottish Show With Dinner

Tonight is your chance to put on that tartan and join us for an evening of singing, dancing and bagpipe playing at an internationally famous venue. You’ll enjoy delicious food and wine, join in the singing and watch a Highland dance or two. There's even a chance to sample Scotland’s national dish – haggis.

Adult Price: £54.00

Day 9

Day 10

Edinburgh – Alnwick – YorkDay 10 - Edinburgh – Alnwick – York

Visit the medieval market town of Alnwick. See the impressive castle home to the Duke of Northumberland and the Tenantry Column, topped by the Percy Lion. Marvel at the magnificent scenery as you cross Northumberland. Cross the River Tyne at Newcastle en route to York where your walking orientation includes the medieval walls, the Shambles and the awe-inspiring Minster. This evening enjoy a Farewell Dinner with your fellow travellers.

View Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage and visit Shakespeare's Birthplace and Visitor Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Bard was born and raised. Explore the cobbled streets or walk along the banks of the River Avon. Later, travel back to London where your amazing holiday comes to an end.

Meals

Full Breakfast

Meals

Full Breakfast

Day 11

Available Departures

Please see http://www.trafalgar.com:80/sa/tours/best-of-britain for the latest discounts & departure information.

The Trafalgar Difference

Be My Guest
Enjoy lunch with the Dyer family on their 15th century dairy farm in Somerset complete with home-made ice-cream

Cultural Insights
Visit Buckfast Abbey, a Benedictine monastery built on the site where monks have lived and prayed for over 1,000 years

The Trafalgar Experience

Simply Authentic

Enjoy

Enjoy the wonder of travel, crisscrossing the globe through the seasons. On effortless adventures in breathtaking new horizons, forge lifelong friendships and memories. Our lovingly crafted itineraries are a fascinating mosaic of cultures, flavours, festivals and local stories. We’re with you all the way, guiding you and ensuring you experience the real thing: the sheer love of travel, entirely hassle-free.

Simply Authentic

Love... Travel

"Is simply the best way to position what our guests love to experience and what we love to deliver" - Gavin Tollman CEO

Simply Authentic

Meet

Meet warm-hearted locals and like-minded travellers. Along your journey of discovery, stop to share stories and flavours with local farmers, chefs and winemakers. Pause to admire the handicrafts and rich traditions of amazing artisans. Explore the essence of Europe through captivating accounts shared by expert historians and savvy local guides.

Simply Authentic

Taste

Travelling with your tastebuds, treating them to new flavours, spices and textures along the way. From the very first breakfast to the last nightcap, travelling through Europe indulges your palate, with every meal an opportunity to discover regional fare. Savour each new flavour, try the local tipple and take home fresh culinary inspiration. Let us share our love for food and hospitality with you.

Simply Authentic

Unwind

Once you've packed your suitcase, we take care of the rest, removing all your concerns so that you can be secure in the knowledge that an award-winning global company with an impeccable reputation has taken care of every little detail. We arrange everything you'll need along your journey - meals, accommodation and travel logistics, because we are with you all the way. Travel the world with peace of mind, knowing you’re in the hands of Trafalgar.

Guest Reviews and Ratings

Service rating : The Tour director worked tirelessly to make sure everything went smoothly and found wonderful treasures. The driver was brilliant given the road conditions and always courteous.Product : Hard to put into a few words, it was great!

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Service:

Service rating : Wonderful experience, amazing sights, excellent guide and driver but:•You will cover a lot of ground, sleep rather fast and come home for a rest•You will likely wish you had more time to spend at pretty much every stop•You won’t be staying in the quality of hotel you expected

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Service:

Our tour person, David was outstanding. Lots of information and history. He was very accommodating.

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Service:

Service rating : Great tour guide - no fuss, handled everything with ease and his information on places and history was excellent.Product : Apart from the weather, everything was just fine

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Service:

Service rating : The tour guide was very knowledgable and the bus driver kept us safe and sound. My room mate was a great match and we remain friends. This was my third trip with Trafalgar and would love to do more.Product : The optional dining often was in interesting locations. I enjoyed the

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discount. Discounts are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

Trip prices are correct at the time of the products going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. All trip information is correct at time of trips going live, however are subject to change - please confirm all details at time of booking.

Twin-share option not available for trips to South America, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or for any holiday & cruise combination, or in Asia and Eastern Mediterranean except Highlights of Turkey (without cruise) & Best of Turkey. It's also not available on Small Group trips. Guided Vacations included in this restriction are Newfoundland and Labrador (DNLA) as well as Panama, the Canal & Beyond (LPAN).

For trips that are part of our Guaranteed Room Share, please note that there is a no smoking policy in all shared rooms. Solo travel is not accepted on guided Family Experiences holidays unless travelling as part of a family group.